5 min read

99% screening conversion rate with recruiting automation.

How First Watch uses conversational AI to extend “You First” culture and improve both candidate and hiring manager experience.

96%

Interview Acceptance Rate

91%

Scheduled in the Same Day

103%

Staffed for Managers

About

First Watch

Industry

Restaurant

Employees

9,000

Locations

380

First Watch is an award-winning daytime restaurant chain serving made-to-order breakfast, brunch and lunch using fresh ingredients. As one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the U.S., First Watch is building communities of local customers one newspaper and a fresh cup of coffee at a time.

About

Laura Sorenson,

Chief People Officer, First Watch Restauruants

First Watch

What problems were they encountering?

Competitive labor market.

The organization found it difficult to make significant hires with a competitive market.

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Low-touch experience.

The organization had no way to deliver a premium candidate experience.

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Issues with technology.

The recruiting team had previously implemented clunky and impersonal recruitment technology.

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Slow moving process.

The hiring process lacked automation and areas of speed for candidates.

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Conversational AI: technology that works.

First Watch turned to a conversational AI assistant named Olivia to automatically screen and schedule qualified candidates, as well as answer any questions they had.

Olivia leverages text recruiting to automatically cover the entire application process, from the initial text to the minute candidates first meet First Watch's hiring managers. This has greatly improved the candidate experience, extending the "You First" culture to anyone that texts Olivia.

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Restaurant managers simply set their interview availability based on their hiring needs and Olivia does the rest. First Watch is filling positions much faster, which has been critical as new stores begin to open. Thanks to conversational AI, First Watch is 103% staffed for management hiring needs.